Bernard Lagat, Here's Your Half-Marathon Training Plan

I was delighted recently to learn that you've decided to run the NYC Half on March 17. Good for you. (I'll be running the West End St. Patrick's day 5K in Allentown, Pa. that same morning, so it looks like we'll both have pretty exciting days!)

Since this will be your first half-marathon ever, and I've run lots of them, I thought you could use some advice. So here it is.

First, and most important: Train! From what I hear, your longest races thus far have been 10K cross-country events. A half-marathon is way longer than that. It's, like, two of those, plus a little bit more. If you don't train right, you might not even finish. Which would be embarrassing. So you really need to "step up" your training.

It's too bad we only have three weeks to prepare. Next time, please try to give me more notice, OK?

By the way: Don't freak out! Those workouts might look tough, but I think you can do them. "XT" means "cross training," in case you're wondering.

Get to the expo early to pick up your bib number. Trust me on this one.

Fuel up. You wouldn't want to "bonk" in your first half-marathon. Consider wearing a Fuel Belt during the race.

Have a race plan. A common mistake is to go out too fast, blowing up later. Don't do it! For instance: Even though you're able to run two miles in 8:09.49, that should definitely not be your time for the first two miles of the NYC Half. Well, unless you really think you could hold that pace for the remainder of the race. If you could, you would finish in 53:32, which would be a huge world record. Your call.

Because this is a NYRR race,the "use of headphones is strongly discouraged." Just something to keep in mind.

Enjoy yourself. You'll only ever have one "first" half-marathon. Why make it a struggle? Relax. Have fun. Stop to take photos. (Better yet: Tweet your race, during your race!) Savor the moment. After all, you're guaranteed a PR! ;-) And when you're done, you can put one of these on your car:

Good luck. And if you ever decide to try a marathon, please let me know. For a marathon you'll need, like, twice as much advice.

Yours,

Mark

Mark RemyMark Remy has been with Runner’s World since January 2007—for the first 5 ½ years as executive editor of RunnersWorld.com, and currently as a writer at large.

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